Sun Flowers
by Rainumora
Summary: At the tender age of twenty, Naruto becomes Hokage. His seal has weakened and he can barely control the Kyuubi as it tries to take over his body. He receives a scroll from the Yodaime that gives him a spark of hope, but at a terrible price. AU Undertones
1. Part I

**IMPORTANT! Please read!: **

**This story is based off of the latest chapters in Naruto Shippudden, which is the sequel to Naruto. If you don't know what NS is, leave now. If you've watched the NS anime only, you may have some spoilers in this story. HOWEVER!!! I have changed some ascpets of the lore of NS in concerns with the Kyuubi, so you fanboys and fangirls don't need to wet your pants. IN OTHER WORDS!!! This is a CANON UNIVERSE FANFIC WITH ALTERNATE UNIVERSE UNDERTONES! Okay. We have that out of the way. Wootness.**

** I don't expect the rating to change, but you know... Ratings subject to change and all that. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. I wish I did... I'd make a lot of money. I do not recieve compensation for my fanfics and I never will. LAY OFF LAWYERS! -huzzah-**

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He had been changing, the soon-to-be Rodaime knew this to be a fact, but it scared and disturbed him. His fingers traced over the reflection that gazed back in the mirror in front of him. The glass cracked beneath the soft pads of his finger tips, breaking his image apart. Reaching for his shirt, the blonde-haired man pulled it over his head, wincing as he felt a spark of angry-red chakra flare against his hands.

It had been like this for days now, the seal was starting to teeter in its control, but there was enough left for him to stay in command of his body, at least for the moment. He had told no one of course. If he told the Tsunade, she would become worried and try to help him, but this wasn't something that medical ninjitsu could cure. His hands traced over his stomach, and he felt another surge of chakra come from his body. He was surprised that no one noticed, after all, he was emitting far more chakra then the average human could possibly hold in their body. He had purposefully avoided the Hyuuga clan, and he wouldn't be able to fool them for much longer with Kage Bunshins. They'd wonder why he would keep disappearing around them.

Naruto looked at this reflection again, the cracked mirror skewing his image into hundreds of pieces. His very soul felt like it was twisting and churning, biting in on it self, trying to devour its own essence. Shivering, he flipped the switch off to the light, stepping out of the room. His hand trailed across the cool paneling of his small apartment, stopping at his dresser. The infamous picture of him, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi still graced the mantle, their smiling faces greeting the world. _If only it could have stayed like that._ He thought, and gently tipped the picture down, hiding the image from view. It would stay here in this room, which would never be used again. It would be his room of memories and tragedies.

Taking a red head-band, he wrapped it around his forehead. He wouldn't ever have to wear his ninja-plaque again, if he chose, but it comforted him. He pulled on a white hakama with a large 'rohk' embroidered on the back, surrounded by red flames. Reaching for the Konoha head-band, he tucked it on an inside pocket of his hakama, he felt the heavy metal press comfortingly against his heart. Everything would be fine today; he would be able to get through this ceremony.

Breathing a bit heavily, Naruto left his modest apartment quietly, many of the inhabitants already at the square in front of the Hokage's residence. That's where he would sleep tonight, not in the room he had spent almost his entire life in, but the place he idolized. Why did it fill him with dread then?

He walked through his apartment building, thinking of all of the memories he had of this place. But it was time to move on, and this afternoon would be the chapter in his life he had been looking forward to the most. Letting out a rattling sigh, he looked up at the gray sky, great clouds threatening rain. It would be a bad omen if it started to rain on his swearing-in as the Hokage.

Naruto picked up his pace, and soon he was running down the main street of Konoha, his robes flapping behind him, his body a blur. He saw the large crowd that had gathered in front of the Hokage's headquarters, and his resolve wavered. Did he really want to become Hokage, to become the Rodaime? It had been his life-long aspiration to adorn the robes he was wearing now, but something made him unsteady and unsure. Shaking off his feelings of uncertainty, he slowed his pace, walking calmly the rest of the way to the front gates.

"Naruto-sama!" The villagers roared, leaves, the symbol of Konoha, flying into the air as they cheered him on. Naruto saw Tsunade standing at the top of the red building of the Hokage, looking down at him with a smiling face. Her age was starting to catch up with her slightly, her eyes had started to squint, and small frown lines had appeared on her face. Her blonde hair was starting to tinge gray, but she, for the most part, looked like the woman he had met when he was twelve.

Jiraiya stood next to Tsunade, the two sannin smiling down at him with pride. Next to Jiraiya was Sakura, the head of the medical ninjas and hospital for Konoha. His former sensei, Kakashi, was no where to be seen. He would probably arrive just as the ceremony was going to start.

Breathing heavy, he slowly walked up the winding staircase to the roof. The roaring crowd cheering him on. His friends, genin, chunin, and jounin alike were all smiling up at him from the ground in their military uniforms. He even saw representatives from the Sangakure to the left, two of the three sand siblings present. Gaara was the Kazekage and couldn't leave his village, but Naruto felt his friend, and fellow Jinchuuriki, in spirit at least.

"Naruto." Tsunade held the Hokage's hat between her hands, her two advisors standing behind her. "Come here."

Sakura and many other jounin on the roof bowed to him. One was the leader of ANBU; Hyuuga Neji, while the other was the leader of the Hyuuga clan, Hinata. Other important people were there, but Naruto didn't have time to figure out who they were, because suddenly he was standing in front of Tsunade.

She offered him the hat, bowing her head slightly, showing that she resigned her position as Hokage to the next generation. Taking it with a small smile, Naruto felt his chakra flare, which caused him to wince for a moment. The two Hyuuga's didn't notice, because the charm from the first Hokage that he wore around his neck absorbed the chakra, but Sakura and Tsunade seemed to realize something was amiss. Tsunade peered at him with questioning eyes, but Naruto took the hat, placing it on top of his blonde head.

The crowd roared again, and he stepped forward, a grin across his face. Yes, this felt right. He was finally recognized by everyone, he was finally someone. "My fellow villagers! I am honored to receive the title of Hokage," Naruto took a breath, his hands going to form the kage Bunshins signs. "I have much to live up to, especially following Lady Tsunade's protection of the village." He heard the woman let out a soft laugh, and suddenly six clones of Naruto appeared, the crowd letting out a gasp. "That being said, I hope to start of my reign with a bang!"

The clones rushed forward, taking small balls from two buckets that had been placed before the ceremony began. The clones launched off from the railing, jumping high into the air. Throwing the balls up as far as they could, the small spheres exploded, creating a large '6' in the sky. The clones disappeared, and the crowd cheered. Naruto let out a laugh, throwing his hat up into the air. "Let the celebration begin!" He shouted, just as the first drops of rain hit his face.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Fire works exploded in the sky overhead, and throughout the village cheering could be heard. A new age had started, and one that should last for a very, very long time. The downpour that came not long after his inauguration didn't dampen the people's spirits at all, but they danced and laughed in the streets, not minding the rain at all. It was a happy day, and unlike the previous Hokage's start, there wasn't bloodshed or anguish that had spurred Konoha into this trend of events, only good, old-fashioned retirement!

Musicians played in a corner of the great room, nearly all of the ninja from Konoha were present. Those few that weren't were on duty, but they would be continuously relieved during the night so that they could join in the festivities.

The new Hokage was the center of attention, and the young genin continued to beg him to do more tricks with his Kage Bunshins. Every couple of minutes, Naruto clones would run through the party, doing tricks and acrobatic feats that made the young ninja laugh and cheer. The original Naruto was seated between Tsunade, with Jiraiya, the advisors, and Sakura on her left, and the Sangakure shinobi on his right. Temari and Kankuro were roaring with laughter as well, Kankuro's cheeks a bit red from too much sake.

Sipping his warm sake, Naruto looked out at the gathering of ninjas, love blossoming in his heart. This was what he had wanted for his entire life, to be at the center of attention and to have everyone look to him for guidance. Breathing, he took another large gulp of his rice alcohol, a silly grin across his face.

"Naruto-Sama!" One young chunin screamed, standing up to show where he was, "tell us about how you defeated Iruka-sensei in a match one time!" Naruto snorted, seeing his former teacher blush with embarrassment.

"Well! It was quite hard!" He shouted over the din of the laughter and talking, taking another sip of his sake. "I didn't know what to expect, but I had recently defeated Kakashi-sensei, with Sakura's help… Speak of the oni!" Naruto let out a cheer as he saw his teacher use ninjitsu to teleport into the party. "You're late as always, Kakashi sensei!"

"Gomen, gomen Naruto-kun." The gray-haired man said, "you see, there was this turtle stuck in the road, and this old lady was trying to get around it and I couldn't just leave…"

"Enough enough!" Naruto grinned, standing to greet his teacher. "I'm glad you could make it, Kakashi-sensei." He said quietly, the roar of the people around them blocking out their conversation.

"I have news, Naruto-kun." Kakashi replied softly, looking around the room, "it would be best that I tell you… In private."

"Of course!" Waving to Tsunade, Naruto motioned towards the door. "I'll only be gone for a second!" He shouted, and a group of kunoichi let out a collective sigh of sadness.

"I see you have gotten quiet popular with the girls, Naruto." Kakashi commented as they walked towards a set of open doors that led to a balcony.

Naruto chuckled softly, rubbing behind his head lightly. "Yeah… What was it that Gaara said? Power makes you seem cute!"

Kakashi smirked at that, and waited for Naruto to step onto the balcony before he closed the double doors behind them. "I'm sorry that I am so late in returning, but I really did run into a bit of trouble on the way back." Leaning against the cool wall of the building, Kakashi crossed his arms, looking at Naruto with his one visible eye.

"What sort of trouble?" The Rodaime asked, sitting on the railing of the balcony. "I hope that everything else went as planned?"

"It did, but I ran into some of our old friends from Sound, and it wasn't a pretty battle." Kakashi unzipped his jounin vest to show a bad burn on his chest and stomach. "There's only one person who can do this sort of damage with fire jutsu, and you know who it is."

Naruto felt his stomach drop to his feet. This was what he had feared, and he slowly stood, his eyes becoming hard as he assessed the situation. "I see… And not to leave a mark on the cloth, he must have used the Mangekyou Sharingan." Kakashi nodded, and covered him self back up. "I thought he was swallowed by that power long ago."

"As did I." Pulling out a scroll from his vest, he held it to Naruto. "You know what this means Naruto. We will either have to go to war with Sound, or follow this code."

"Code?" Naruto took the scroll, breaking the wax seal on it to read the contents. "I don't understand, this isn't what I asked you to retrieve for me Kakashi."

"I know."

"Then what is this?"

"It's just as it says, it's a formal request by the Sound leader, Uchiha Sasuke, for a ceremonial fight to the death to decide which village is stronger, Konoha or Sound." Kakashi stood from his position, his left hand going up to grab Naruto's shoulder gently. "As your former teacher, and fellow shinobi, I urge you to accept these terms. Sound has an army, twice, maybe three times the size of ours, and we would not be able to survive in an all out war. We have still note recovered completely from the original attack from Orochimaru."

The blonde-haired youth let out a rattling breath, the scroll grumbling in his grip. "I see… What about the other information I requested?"

"It's already in your quarters; you can look at it when you decide to retire for the night." Kakashi obviously had decided this conversation was over, because he reached for the double doors, the roar of the party engulfing the two. "For now, enjoy your first day as Hokage, Naruto, there may not be another time in the future when we can celebrate like this."

x.x.x.x.x.x

The festivities lasted long into the night, and finally Naruto managed to leave and go to his new rooms. His few possessions had been brought there during his inauguration, and his tattered belongings seemed so out of place in the grandeur of his new home. Sitting down at a small writing desk, he let out a weary sigh, stretching his legs in front of him.

A large scroll sat on his desk, and after a moment of hesitation Naruto reached for it. This scroll was special, and only recently had he found out about it. His father, the Yodaime, had left this scroll for him and Naruto had figured out its whereabouts based off of the Sandaime's notes. Pricking his thumb gently with a kunai, he pressed his bloody thumbprint against the seal of the scroll. For a moment, nothing happened, but black characters branched out from around his hand, and the scroll opened with a soft snap, as if it had been held taunt by a spring.

Rolling it out slowly, Naruto once again place his thumb on the right side of the scroll, running the thin trail of blood in a circle, and then pressing his palm against the mark. It was the last step, and writing slowly trudged across the paper, and the Hokage rolled it out on the floor.

_My son, I imagine if you are reading this now you have become the Hokage, and I have long since passed away. I am sorry that I was unable to watch you grow up into the remarkable young man that I know you are, but fate intervened, and stole from us the future we should have had together._

_Your life has not been an easy one, I would imagine, and probably a day doesn't go by when you ask yourself, 'why me'? Well, to be frank, there was no one else, no one else I could trust at least. This may sound strange, considering that you were a newborn, but I couldn't imagine leaving the burden of having the Kyuubi inside of you on another child. Your mother and I had both agreed that it would be the best thing to do._

_The Kyuubi is not as you think it is. It is not a monster or yoki, but a unique creature, one that only comes every forty years. The Kyuubi is made of chakra, as you probably have discovered, and the chakra was its physical body and soul. Unlike us humans, who have flesh and bone, the Kyuubi did not, at least when I fought it. This unique characteristic enabled me to completely seal it within you._

_The chakra the Kyuubi emits would be too great for any person to hold in their body at once, so I sealed the yin portion of the chakra away using a permanent seal developed by the Ichdaime. The yang portion can be accessed by you at the moment, but it has probably grown volatile and no longer stable. Have you noticed angry, black or red chakra emit from your body now and then? That would be the yang._

_I purposefully designed the seal on the yang chakra it so that it could be altered in times of great need, which I imagine there were many for you. The seal I created is special, and is a modification of Jiraiya-sensei's five-pronged seal. Instead of five seals, there are nine, for each chakra tail. For each seal that is lost one more tail of the Kyuubi can form. If all nine seals are taken off, you will be transformed into the Kyuubi, and lose all memories of your life as a human. You will become an immortal creature of destruction, Naruto._

_The seal is weakened in three different ways, mental stress, such as the death of a person special to you, physical injuries, or the use of high-chakra based jutsu. I imagine you have experienced all three of these situations already, and I implore you to look at the seal on your stomach to see how many prongs are left. If there are less than three left, then what I am about to tell you will not work._

"_What does this all mean?" You are probably asking your self. Well, it means that you need to release the yin chakra to stabilize your body and soul. To solidify the Kyuubi's seal, you need to release out the yin chakra and reunite it with the yang that's inside of your body. Because you've held the Kyuubi inside of you for almost twenty years, your body and mind have been modified to withstand it's large chakra amount, and you are the only person in the world who can hold an entire Jinchuuriki in their body. To do this, you need to release your seal completely, and in the few moments that you have before the Kyuubi takes over you need to supplant the ying chakra into your body, and create a 900 pronged seal. _

_I created the 900-prong in knowledge of the Kyuubi's power, and only you, and a select few, will know how to create one. This is the most powerful seal ever to be made, and it could, feasibly, create another dimension of space if used improperly, sealing you, and Kyuubi, there for eternity in an endless struggle. _

_I have divided the hand seal pattern into two sets, one is at the end of this scroll, and the other you can find directions to from the Great Toad Sage. _

_I am truly sorry that this grievous task has befallen to you, my son, but you are a strong shinobi, and I am proud of you. _

_Your Father._

Naruto's hands shook as he read the last line of the scroll, the thick parchment flapping slightly. It was almost too much to comprehend at one moment, and he slowly set the paper down, unrolling it to the very end. A smaller piece of paper lay at the end of the scroll; it was folded and also had another blood seal on it. Opening the small cut on his thumb again, Naruto pressed his thumbprint into a small, black circle. Like before, his blood seemed to open an invisible lock, and the opened the parchment slowly.

A complicated diagram written in the Yodaime's sloped handwriting marched across the paper. Every inch of the yellow parchment was covered in notes and hand seals. The paper was dizzying to look at, and Naruto folded it again, placing it on his desk. Looking at the scroll his father left him, he decided the best course of action would be to dispose of it, after all, he would never forget its contents. The next course of action would be to summon the Great Toad Sage, but, before that he would check how many prongs he had left.

Pulling his shirt off, Naruto concentrated for a moment, focusing his chakra to his core. Looking down at his stomach, he felt a small sense of relief; he still had six prongs, but the balance of power would start to shift in Kyuubi's favor. Grabbing his shirt, he pulled it on quickly, writing a small note on his desk for his attendant that would come the next morning. He couldn't waste any time, and he grabbed his sandals, putting them on as he opened the window to his rooms.

After a moment of consideration, he rushed back to his desk, tucking the hand technique for the 900 seal in his pocket, feeling slightly better. He left his rooms with a run, launching out of the window and propelling himself with chakra across the city. There was one place he could go to summon the Toad Sage, and that would be deep in Konoha's forest, where hardly any ninja, save for the occasional patrol went.

At that moment, his seal tinged and he felt the sixth prong of his seal from Kyuubi's power. He would have to hurry, or his transformation could doom all of Konoha, possibly all of the Fire Country.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Branches vibrated as he landed and jumped quickly, the Hokage running at top speed towards a certain grove in Konoha's forest. Jiraiya had shown him this place when he had become a chunin, the man explaining the importance of vigilance, compassion, and most of all having a wife that could cook the perfect dumpling for you. Naruto didn't care much for those aspects of the conversation, but he did pay attention on one key point. This grove was the only place where he could summon the Great Toad Sage, the oldest living toad in existence who also could, at sometimes, make extremely accurate prophecies.

Pushing leaves out of his face, Naruto jumped to another tree, the scent of fresh spring water greeting his nose. Another side effect of having Kyuubi start to waken in his body, but it was necessarily bad. He would know immediately when his ramen was done.

Jumping to the ground, he skidded across the dew-covered grass, stopping at the edge of a large pond. The Great Toad Sage wasn't as big as the Boss Toad he summoned, so this would be the perfect area to conceal their conversation. Biting his thumb, he tasted his coppery, now chakra-infused, blood spring into his mouth. Making the necessary hand signs, he slapped his right hand to the ground, ink bleeding from his wrist out.

For a moment nothing happened, and he was worried that he managed to summon a tadpole or small frog again. But, his worry was quickly stopped as the pond started to bubble, and silver and black toad peered up from the water.

The toads wore beads, like Boss Gama, accept his were filled with strange liquids and glowed softly. The toad groaned, pulling it self out of the water to stare down at Naruto. "**Why have you summoned me, young one?**" It asked, yellow eyes staring down at the Hokage.

Taking a breath, Naruto walked forward, using his chakra to balance on the surface of the water. "I need you to give me the other half of the 900 prong seal." The toad's eyes widened, as if it couldn't believe what it was hearing.

After a long silence, it let out a huff, sitting back on its stiff legs. "**I suppose it is time then.**" His body shifted and contorted, as if he was pulling something from inside his stomach into his mouth. His tongue unfurled, a small piece of parchment balanced at the tip.

"Err… Thanks." Taking it, Naruto shook off the toad-spit, opening it with his blood. He pulled out the second half from inside his shirt, placing the two together. A frown graced his lips, and he looked up at the Sage, the toad peering back with mild interest. "This isn't the other half, it just makes a map."

"**And what does a map lead to?**" The Sage asked, tucking its front legs against its stomach, like an old man would.

"Treasure…Err, no… What I want to find?" The Toad nodded, showing that Naruto was on the right track. The Hokage frowned, peering at the two papers for a moment more, "this says that I have to travel north of here and south as well, what does that mean?"

"**Do as it says; travel south of here, to Sangakure, and North of here, to the Sound Village.**" The Toad replied, and he started to sink back into the water. "**You must act quickly; already my vision of you is distorted by the otherworldly.**"

Naruto bowed to his Sage, a gesture he had learned to do as a habit after dealing with Gama. "Thank you." The Toad disappeared from view, and Naruto was left standing on the pond of a placid spring. He turned on his heel, running back towards the village as the sun started to peak over the horizon along with thunderclouds, assuring rain for the next three days at least. When it rains misfortune, it pours.


	2. Part II

He was lost in a sea of paperwork! He couldn't get out! He was being suffocated by the mounds of paper, inkwells, stamps, pens, orders, requisitions, warranties, and records! He was never going to get out!

Naruto stared at the foot tall paper pile in front of him, feeling his soul try to escape his body. They expected him to do all of _this_ in one day?! They must be mad! Groaning, he reached for the first paper of the pile, staring at it blankly. He never considered that being the Hokage mean, he would have to do paperwork, but it came with the job. He was leading the village after all. Glaring at the "request to file records" paper, Naruto stamped it with the Hokage seal, looking up as someone knocked on his door. He needed to get out of this hellhole and fix his seal! "Come in…"

The door opened, and a young group of female kunoichi came barreling forward. "Naruto-sama!" One girl giggled, holding up a bento. "I made it for you! I know it's not proper, but I really, really like you!" The other two girls did the same, and the Hokage was a bit flabbergasted. He had not expected _this_ either.

"Err… Ah…" He didn't know quite what to say, and dumbly took all three bentos, setting them on his desk. "Thank you?" He managed to state, scratching the back of his head.

The girls giggled, turning to barrel past a rather amused Kakashi. "Accepting bentos from girls now, Naruto-kun? Ah… To see how you've grown." The jounin took a seat in front of Naruto's desk, a smile evident through his mask. "I remember the time that you kept hitting on Sakura and…"

"Kakashi-sensei… Please, I'm already in enough pain. I don't need to reminisce about past events." Naruto stared down at his desk again, the bentos forgotten. "Hey Kakashi-sensei do you think you could-"

"No." The jounin cut him off, pulling out _Make Out Tactics! _and started to read it.

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask!" Naruto snapped.

"I have an idea, and no, I will not be your substitute Hokage." Kakashi stated, flipping the page to his book.

Naruto sighed, sliding down onto his desk. He needed to get away and deal with his problems, but he could not leave Konoha. "Who do you think I could ask?" Naruto inquired after a moment, peering up at Kakashi through his fringed bangs.

"There are a number of people you can ask, such as the man who cooks Ramen, the architect for the building, even Konohamaru." Kakashi jibed, continuing to read his book.

"Someone_qualified_ to substitute, I mean…" Naruto remarked, letting the annoyance of his teacher's logic seep into his voice.

"Ah… That is a different matter." Kakashi shut the book, putting it away. He seemed to be thinking about what to do, and placed a hand under his chin. "Why do you need a substitute anyways? Does it have to do with the Yodaime's scroll?"

Naruto nodded in response, sitting up from his slouched position. He took a stack of papers, and started stamping them all, not even bothering to look at their contents. "Yeah… It sorta does." He winced as chakra spiked through his right hand, making him drop the stamp. "Shoot…"

Kakashi watched as Naruto picked the stamp up, noticing a peculiar outline that only those gifted with dojutsu could see. Taking Naruto's hand, he pulled up his Konoha plaque, his Sharingan spinning as he peered at his pupil's body. The skin seemed to be deteriorating on a molecular level from the inside, and if some large force was constantly pressing against it, trying to get out and rip Naruto's body to shreds.

The jounin turned Naruto's hand over, studying how the Hokage's hand twitched at this slight movement. He could see the muscles starting to change in the boy's body, towards a more feral, more yokai appearance. There was even a slight haze around his right hand in the shape of the Kyuubi's claw. "I see…" He let go of Naruto's hand, the blonde letting out a sigh as well. "I will give you one suggestion. Do not appoint a single ninja; that person will be looked at as your successor and it could cause bad blood between the clans or ANBU. Rather, leave the village to the Council."

The Hokage nodded, listening to the wise advice of his former teacher. He stamped another stack of papers, only reading their headlines. "To do that, though, I would have to address them and tell them what I am doing and why."

"Yes, but would you rather leave the village unprotected?" Naruto shook his head at that, leaning back in his chair to study the ceiling. This was going to be a very hard set of events to pass with the elders. All of them were old, cranky, and conservative. In a way, they were comparable to the first generation of Sand Siblings; Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro's grandparents.

Naruto stood, moving to telephone. He turned the dial of the numbers, reaching the private quarters of the Head of the Council. "Ah yes, Anyi-sama. Yes, yes… I am fine, no there is not an attack. No… No…" It took him a few moments to reassure the Council Member before he was able to give his order. "I need the Council to convene tonight, in secret. Yes, that's right; it will be an off record meeting. Thank you." He hung up the phone, turning to Kakashi. "It's all settled then…"

Kakashi nearly smiled, saluting Naruto. "You've become quite an accomplished sweet talker of young girls and old men. Careful, Naruto, you might actually be good at being the Hokage." Both men laughed, even if Naruto was a bit annoyed with the comment. "Here, I'll help you stamp, if you'll allow it." Kakashi took a seat at the edge of the desk, taking a stack of papers.

"O-of course!" Naruto rushed forward, pulling out a second stamp and inkpad. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."

"About that…" The jounin said, looking to Naruto. "You don't have to refer to me as sensei anymore, you _do_ outrank me now." The ninja inwardly sighed, what a scary thought, Naruto outranking him!

The blonde grinned, and shook his head. "Of course not, you will always be my sensei, just like Iruka. I still respect you and him, so I see no reason why to call you by anything else."

Kakashi smiled, and simply let the issue slide. Naruto had matured more than he had thought.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Naruto wrung his hands together, pacing back and forth in his office. He had been wondering since he made the call if what he was doing would be the right thing. He had just become Hokage, and to ask for leave so early on would be seen as odd, and probably damaging to his reputation.

Scowling, he stopped in front of his double doors, staring at the monogrammed Konoha seal that was just above his desk. Kyuubi was growing impatient, it knew that its prison was starting to weaken, and it was letting more and more of its potent chakra emit from the seal. Wincing, he touched his stomach lightly, feeling the sharp crackle of malign energy. No, this was the right course of action.

With his resolve intact, he turned back around, opening the doors of his office. He needed to get to that meeting, and fast. If he debated anymore or tried to stall, they would deny his request altogether._Even if they do that…_ _I still have to go_. Naruto would put his reputation and title of Hokage on the line to finish what his Father had started all those years ago.

x.x.x.x.x.x

"Hokage-sama is late." One of the Council Members remarked, tapping his fingers irritably against the large table underneath him. "You'd think he would come on time to a meeting that he called!" The Council Members are huffed their responses, the old ninja annoyed.

The Head of the Council, Anyi, was a man who outranked even the Sandaime in age. Some believed that he had fought with the Nidaime, and others thought he was the brother of the Ichidaime. No one knew for sure, and hardly any of the ninja or citizens of Konoha knew of the Council it self. In a sense, the Hokage was just a figurehead to their power, the title being more of an honor given to the strongest ninja rather than an actual position. Of course, the Hokages knew nothing of that part of their job.

The doors to the room slammed shut, and Naruto bolted into the room, his face flushed from running. "I'm sorry Council Members I…" He huffed, leaning on his knees to catch his breath.

"You're here now, that's all that matters." Anyi stated, standing from his position at the middle of the table. "To get right to business; why have you called us here?"

Naruto stood, wiping his face off. He regarded the Council Members with some interest before moving onto his point. "I need to take a leave of absence for about a month." This surprised the Council; they had not expected _this_ sort of request.

One of the Council Members immediately rejected the proposal. "Of course not! We have elected you Hokage based on your ability and drive to protect this village. What makes you think that you can go cavorting around like some rogue ninja?" The man snapped, his comments gaining a few murmurs of agreement.

This was annoying… "Because!" Naruto took a step forward, drawing his Konoha-plaque out from his robes. "I owe it to this village to finish what my Father started!" This was met with an even more surprised silence.

"You… You know of your heritage to the Yodaime?" One Council Member asked slowly, shifting forward in her seat. "How did you find out?"

Naruto scowled, and set his plaque down on the Council's table. He had bridged the gap between them in the past few moments, something that went against propriety. "Of course I know. I found out from Jiraiya-sensei, but that doesn't matter now. What I need is to leave the village, not for my own reasons but for the safety of everyone."

"What do you mean?" Anyi asked, peering at Naruto through his bushy eyebrows. "We need some sort of evidence of what you are planning to do…"

He knew it would come to this. Of course, these old bats would need some sort of proof that he wasn't going to perform an Uchiha style exit. Sighing, Naruto regarded the Council. "I understand." He let his white Hokage robe fall to the ground, and pulled off his long-sleeved t-shirt. The Council was confused, but Naruto continued before they could protest or make any other unnecessary and distracting remarks.

He centered his chakra at his core, feeling the painful heat from the Kyuubi's energy take over his natural chakra and overwhelm it. Red and black streaked across his body, collecting at his stomach. The seal suddenly burst into play, keeping the Kyuubi from gaining a larger foothold. The black markings stood out against Naruto's pale skin. Only five prongs remained, showing that four of the tails were now free.

"This is why…" He let his collected to chakra dissipate, some of his body graced with burns where the chakra had pushed out of his skin. "I cannot protect the village in this condition and I would become a threat to all of those who live here." He reached for his clothes, putting them back on.

Anyi watched Naruto, his bleary eyes studying the young man's form. "I see, and you received the scroll then?" Naruto was surprised that the Head knew of what his Father was working on, but nodded.

"Yes… Yes I did."

"What scroll, Anyi? What are you two talking about?" The other Members demanded, wanting to know the full story.

"It is not my place to tell, only to guide. Council!" Anyi stated, and suddenly the Members had regained their composure. "We need to vote on this and one other issue." The other Members nodded. The 'other' issue was how to address Sound's request for a formal duel. "All of those in favor to let Hokage-sama do what needs to be done to get the Kyuubi under control…" Five of the nine raised their hands, showing that Naruto was allowed to go. "We will watch over Konoha for you."

Anyi stood from his chair again, "Hokage-sama. We need to receive orders on how to act with the Sound's proposition. The challenge was addressed specifically to you, not the whole of Konoha, so we do not have any jurisdiction of the matter. What would you have us do?"

Naruto thought for a moment, rubbing his neck. Should he fight his once best friend to the death? There seemed to be no other way. He had to ensure the wellbeing of the Konohagakure nor did he want to kill Sasuke. "I…. I will accept it." The village was more important than his personal feelings.

"Good… Now that the larger issues are out of the way, we need to make a team of ninja to escort you."

"I propose the Sannin. They are powerful and have experience." One Member suggested.

"No." Naruto stepped forward again, "I will choose my own team. Jiraiya-san and Tsunade-san have finally found rest after years of fighting; I would not drag them into another battle. I will take Yamato-san, Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura-chan with me."

"Why do you choose these three ninja, Naruto?" The Council asked.

"Yamato can suppress the Kyuubi if it's needed, so he would go either way. Kakashi-sensei is one of the most skilled ninja around, and his Sharingan would be indispensable in times of great need. Sakura is the only other non-ANBU or Council Member that knows of Kyuubi, and she is very skilled with healing. Undoubtedly there will be injuries along the way."

Anyi nodded, "a wisely made team them. You know your companions' strengths and weaknesses well Hokage-sama. We will inform these people that they are going to have an S-ranked mission. One last thing…" The Head stopped Naruto, who thought the matters had been resolved. "Where will you be going first?"

"Sangakure." Naruto replied calmly. He would have to talk to Gaara about these matters. Even if his fellow Jinchuuriki had emotional issues, they were still friends and had similar predicaments.

"Ah… Well then, take Temari and Kankuro with you. You can use people who were born in the sand. I'm sure they will help you if one of you becomes incapacitated." Anyi replied, and nodded to Naruto. "Do you have any other requests of this Council?"

Naruto thought for a moment, rubbing his neck again. No… There was nothing else. He didn't want anything from them, and Konoha was going to be fine underneath their protection. "No, thank you for the Council's time." He bowed to the group, who returned to the gesture as well. Everything would turn out all right, he had to stay hopeful.

x.x.x.x.x.x

The Kyuubi was angry, as if it knew something was going to change soon. Naruto shuddered as the yoki tried to push through its prison, pressing his mind and body to its limit. He would be ending this eternal struggle soon… Placing a hand on his stomach, the Hokage had to reassure himself again. He would be leaving before dawn the next morning, but this feeling of uneasiness haunted him. The Kyuubi knew something was going on but it didn't know what… Yet.

Laying down on his futon, Naruto brought his comforter up to his chin. He just needed sleep. Maybe that would clear his mind about how to find the other half of the 900 seal-technique.

x.x.x.x.x.x

**What is it that you are trying to pull, kit? **Growled Kyuubi, the beast raging behind the weakening seal. Naruto turned to address the yoki in his inner self. It had started here, eight years ago when he had requested help from the beast. By tapping into its chakra, he had started the deterioration of the seal.

"I am not your tool!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the Kyuubi. "I am a human, a person with my own wants and desires! I will not become your vessel for mayhem and destruction!" The Kyuubi roared, water flying around Naruto.

**Do you know whom you are challenging!? **It growled, angry red tendrils escaping behind its bars to wrap around Naruto.** I could kill you in an instant, you annoying pest.**It seemed happy with this fact, and squeezed the tendrils, Naruto's air nearly cut off. The chakra burned where it touched his skin, the smell of seared flesh greeting his nose.

"But…" He gagged, his blue chakra surging and counter acting the yoki's. "If I die, you die with me!" His blue chakra erupted around him, forming a half dome to push Kyuubi back. "I did not choose to have you put in me, and neither did I want to admit that you were inside me but I won't fall victim to your evil schemes!" His chakra formed around him again, solidifying into a swirling ball in his left hand. "I am a person and you are simply an unwanted factor in my life!"

The Kyuubi laughed, rearing behind its cage. **Come! Destroy this barrier between us so that I might feast on your flesh and become my own being again! Come for me, little boy! I remember when you came here the first time, nearly dead from that Water ninja's jutsu. Oh… How I loved the feeling of being free! **It roared and energy flew at Naruto, the man blocking it with his own chakra.

Enough was enough. He was not going to be played by this monster, this relic of ancient wars and destruction! Letting out a growl of rage, Naruto's Rasengan changed forming into a large, green shuriken. "I will not be your _toy_!" He leapt forward, striking at a wave of red chakra with his Rasengan. The two energy forces surged and rolled, trying to push each other to the side to reach their attacker, but something stopped them.

A white being appeared at the middle of their two attacks; a small, white and blue Kyuubi. Unlike the one behind Naruto's seal, it did not give off an angry or malign aura and its eyes were closed. Rather, it stopped the attacks, keeping the two sides from mutually destroying each other. Naruto flew back, and in an instant, that being was gone, along with their destructive chakra. Kyuubi seemed equally as docile, and with a swipe of its paw, pushed Naruto out of its sanctuary.

Doors and passages flew by, and suddenly Naruto was back in his futon. Gasping, he sat up, sweat pouring down his face as he stared at the comforter in front of him. He was in pain all over his body, his wrists, neck, and torso a burned red where the Kyuubi's chakra had wrapped around him. The Kyuubi was growing even more powerful, and he could feel it working at his seal every moment of everyday.

Pushing his comforter down, he stared at his stomach, the black seal standing out against his skin. He still had five prongs. Good. Letting out a sigh of relief, he leaned his upper half forward, staring at the cotton comforter in front of him. This would all be over soon… Very soon. Then he could be a true Hokage, where he wouldn't be haunted by the Kyuubi.


	3. Part III

The group of shinobi was about an hour from Sangakure when finally someone had to ask the pressing question. "Naruto-kun… Why are you outside of the village?" It was Sakura, the pink-haired medical ninja keeping in pace with the others of the group. She, Temari, and Kankuro had been giving the new Hokage odd looks ever since their start early this morning. Yamato and Kakashi had accepted their mission without a second thought, but either man had a rough speculation about why they were escorting the Hokage.

"I need to speak with Gaara-san, it's as simple as that." Naruto replied, his face and hair hidden underneath white and red robes. Kakashi, Yamato, and Sakura all wore the same colored robes, one to reflect the harsh sunlight of the desert, but also to disguise which one of them was the Hokage if they came under attack. "I would rather not go into the details."

Sakura huffed, jumping a head to keep abreast with Temari. The woman was not as easily accepting of the sudden mission she had received. She had many critical patients, and had to turn them over to the care of Tsunade and to top it all off, she hadn't received any other information from the person who gave her the mission, an elite ANBU, or even Naruto! Really, just because he was Hokage he thought he could order her around!

Sensing the woman's annoyance, Temari shifted a bit closer, whispering to Sakura, "I'm sure it's very important, Sakura-san, but lets try and get into the Sangakure before nightfall. If we get stuck out here, we may get found by bandits or swallowed by a storm." Sakura agreed, the desert was not the best place to throw a temper tantrum.

Kakashi suddenly raised his hand at the front of the group, signaling for them to stop. "What's the matter, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, peering around them at the endless dunes of the desert.

"We are being followed, have you sensed it, Naruto-kun, Yamato-san?" The two ninja nodded, and immediately a protective circle formed around Naruto. "You mentioned bandits and other things, Temari-san?"

"Yes, recently we've seen resurgence in bandits and other forms of outlaws." She drew her fan, the three moons glittering in the rolling heat. "They shouldn't have been able to keep up with us… Rogues?"

"Probably," Kankuro replied, holding two summoning scrolls in either hand. "If we can make another mile, we'll be within range of Sangakure's radios and can call for a larger escort."

"Sounds good to me." Yamato replied, looking to Kakashi, "I'll leave the genjutsu to you, I presume?"

Kakashi nodded, and pulled up the left side of his mask. "Of course, just worry about transporting Naruto-kun." His hands moved in a complex array of seals and suddenly the world around their ring seemed to dull and lose color. "Go, I can hold this for about two minutes, which should give you enough time to get a head start."

Yamato went to Naruto's right, Sakura at his left. Either sand sibling went behind and front, Temari leading now. The blonde-haired woman led them quickly, using her wind-jutsu to speed their steps along the sand dunes.

They ran as fast as possible, using their chakra and Temari's ability to speed their movements. In what would have taken another twenty minutes, they had passed through in a matter of moments. The two sand jounin's radios crackled as they came in range of their village. "This is Temari and Kankuro, we are transporting the Konohagakure Hokage with us and one of the Konoha jounin has stayed behind. We request assistance."

"Copy that, Temari." A ninja on the receiving line replied, and after a few seconds fifteen sand ninja appeared around them using ninjitsu. The one on the other line was a commander, who had also appeared. He motioned for five of the ninja to go ahead to where Kakashi was, the rest to stay with Naruto. "Sorry about this, Hokage-sama." He directed that at any of the tree white-clad figures, unsure of whom the Hokage was.

Naruto pulled his mask, "its fine, you have a large territory to control." The commander seemed surprised to be faced with such a young Hokage; all of the Konoha's previous Hokages had been well aged, the youngest being the Yodaime, who had been about twenty-six years old when he was first inaugurated.

The large step-gate of the Sangakure loomed ahead, and Naruto felt a sense of relief come over him. Gaara was just on the other side of those walls, his one confidant who would be able to understand exactly where his troubles were. They raced through the gate, the other ninja making sure that they were not being pursued.

The sand's radios crackled again, and the commander let out a sigh of relief. "Kakashi-san was found safe and unharmed, but there was a large group of bandits that could have faired better. They're bringing in the leader for questioning, and Kakashi will be here in about half an hour after he makes a detour, on your orders." He looked to Naruto, who simply nodded.

Naruto hadn't authorized such a maneuver, but he was sure Kakashi had his reasons. "Of… Of course." He coughed, sand caking his mouth and nose. "I'm honored to be in the Sangakure once again." He nodded to the ninja around him, who simply stared, wondering who he was.

"This is the Hokage of the Konohagakure; show your respect to him!" The commander snapped. The ninja were as surprised as their captain had been at how young Naruto was, but they all bowed, Naruto feeling a bit embarrassed. "Gaara has already been notified of your arrival, unfortunately he's in a meeting at the moment, but he will see you as soon as it lets out."

"Of course." Gaara had his own worries to take care of, and the Kyuubi was not trying to escape at that second. "I'm going to review a few things that I have with me. Sakura-chan, Yamato-san, please do as you wish."

Sakura nodded, and looked to a nearby medical-ninja, "can I please go to your green houses? I would like to pay respect to an old friend of mine and to speak with your Medical Head." The young ninja nodded, recognizing Sakura from the time she saved Kankuro.

"I will stay with you, Naruto." Yamato replied, "it would be for the best."

The Hokage agreed, somewhat. He was annoyed at being followed around by Yamato like a small child who needs to be baby-sat, but in his condition, he couldn't blame the jounin. The last thing he would want would be to turn into a four-tailed Kyuubi in the middle of the Sangakure. "Alright..."

Naruto followed a young kunoichi, the girl leading them to the Kazekage's building where they could rest and relax after their strenuous journey. In all honesty, Naruto was more interested in where Kakashi had went and why, but he would find out soon enough.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Naruto twiddled a kunai between his fingers, leaning back in his chair. He held another blade in his mouth and a shuriken on each of his fingers on his left hand. He had gotten bored and started to play with his weapons, something that he was often told not to do at as a genin- he had a peculiar knack for hurting himself.

Placing the kunai down, he took the other kunai out of his mouth, putting his shuriken back in a small pocket he had at his left thigh. He hated waiting even more than bad-tasting ramen. Kakashi was an hour past the time he said he was going to be back, and Gaara had yet to get out of his meeting. Scowling at the ceiling, he shifted in his chair, leaning his elbows against the wooden table in front of him.

He had tried to study his half of the 900-seal technique, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Half of the characters were missing on the notes of the paper, and most of the seals were as well. Was there more than just half of this technique missing, and why did he have to travel to both the Sangakure and Sound? Scowling again, he balanced a kunai above his upper lip, leaning back in his chair.

"Studying hard as usual, Naruto-kun?" With a yelp, Naruto fell back, hitting his head against the floor.

"That's not funny, and stop sneaking up on me!" Naruto yelled indignantly, sitting up to glare at Kakashi. The jounin was perched on his window, and looked as if he had been sitting there for a few minutes. "And where did you go!?"

"You really do the oddest things when you're bored…" With a sigh, Kakashi stepped into the room, taking a seat on the other side of the table. "I went to investigate something peculiar."

"Peculiar?" Naruto's eyebrows rose, and sat back down in his now standing chair. "There's always something peculiar with you around."

Kakashi chuckled at that, and pulled out Pakkun from underneath this hood, the small dog apparently taken refuge there. "_He_ smelled something. Go on, tell him Pakkun."

The dog "wuffed", jumping onto the table. He sat back on his hind legs, much like a person would do. "I smelled a rather peculiar scent. It was laced with cinnamon among the rough, metallic smell of this desert. I followed it for a few miles and found a curious stream that had blue, glittering water. I filled a vial of it." He wuffed again, a vial poofing in front of him to fall into Naruto's hands. "The curious thing about it is that it's full of chakra, and really cold."

"Chakra?" Naruto uncorked the vial, taking a sniff of the contents. He gagged at the smell, quickly capping it. "Not the most delectable of scents…"

"I agree. Thanks Pakkun." The tiny dog wuffed again, disappearing in a puff of smoke. "This is not the only place where this water has appeared. In every country where a great battle with Jinchuuriki occurred these springs have been appearing. ANBU has accounts of it in Sound, the Waterfall village, and many other places. If a Jinchuuriki was unleashed, residue of its chakra has been found."

"Why haven't I heard anything about this?" Naruto asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

"You have barely been Hokage for two days Naruto-kun, we can only brief on you on so much at one time. I'm sure Tsunade-san was going to tell you by the end of the week. Anyways, a few weeks ago ANBU started mapping where the springs were appearing and a rather peculiar shape started to form. Would you like to see a copy of the map?"

"Of course." Naruto leaned forward as Kakashi drew a folded paper from inside his vest, biting his thumb to smear a bit of his blood along the edge. It verified that he was an elite jounin, and the paper in front of them blossomed into life.

A map of the known world appeared with all of the countries outlined. "These black dots are the springs." Kakashi remarked, "they're all drawing from different countries, but make a spiraling pattern all towards one place." He followed one of the lines with his index finger, the line finishing a few miles out of Konoha's borders towards Sound. It landed at a certain place, _that_ place.

"You don't mean…" Naruto whispered, standing to stare down at the map. "That I have to return back to that cave that Sakura-chan destroyed, where Akatsuki were drawing at the Jinchuuriki?"

"I do not have enough information on it yet, but everyday more of these springs appear. It is not simply a coincidence Naruto. With each passing day something is happening there, something that will involve you, Gaara, and any other Jinchuuriki past or present.

However, we cannot concern ourselves with it now; we must work on fixing your current state."

"Of course." Naruto sat back down, a groan coming from his frame. Chakra springs, an official duel, resealing the Kyuubi… It was all starting to add up. Sort of. "Let's hope that nothing bad happens to Konoha while I'm away."

Kakashi nodded, taking the parchment and putting it back inside his vest. He looked towards the door, "ah, I see Gaara is here, I will take my leave then."

"Err… What?" Before Naruto could protest, Kakashi had disappeared. Kakashi was certainly a unique character. Someone knocked at the door, and Naruto sighed, resting his head in his hands. "Come in."

"Naruto-kun." Came the monotone voice of Gaara, the Kazekage drifting into the room. "What a surprise and honor." The door closed behind him, the familiar tendrils of sand drifting around the room to seal and secure it. "It is good to see you."

"No need to be so formal, Gaara-kun." Naruto laughed, somewhat amused by his friend's rigid appearance and manners. "It's good to see you as well. I hope everything has been well in the Sangakure?"

"Yes. It was wonderful to hear that you became Hokage. I suppose both of our dreams have come true, no?" The redhead asked, sitting down where Kakashi had been moments before. Even if he had a cold exterior, Naruto could since the sincerity of Gaara's words. He had changed, just as Naruto had over the past years.

"They have." Naruto couldn't help but grin, the pale green eyes of his friend staring at him for a moment. "Got a girl yet?"

The Kazekage seemed slightly embarrassed at that idea, his sand swirling about in odd patterns for a moment before settling down again. Naruto always knew how to ask the most direct and piercing question. "Ah… No. You? I imagine you've become quite popular."

"Nah…" Naruto leaned back, his hands behind his head, "I have some larger issues right now, and I don't think I could handle the emotional baggage of having a woman around all the time."

"Indeed." Gaara obviously wanted to get to the point of Naruto's visit.

"Have you ever heard of the 900-seal technique?" Naruto asked, leaning forward again. "It seems to be my only hope in certain… Personal matters."

Gaara shifted his sands, the room becoming even more sealed. "I have, somewhat. I read my Father's diaries a few months back and learned something of it. I can give you what information I have on the seal, why do you need it?"

"Kyuubi is acting up, and I don't have much time left before my transformation becomes complete." The blonde remarked, a sigh coming from his frame. "I don't want to let that sort of creature in the world again, but I also need your help."

"In what way would you need my help?" Gaara asked.

"I need your guidance as a fellow Jinchuuriki and your support as a friend. Ever since Sasuke disappeared all those years ago, this void of malice and hate has been forming inside of me, which the Kyuubi seems to feed on."

"Ah, yes, I have much experience with those sorts of emotions." Gaara drew his fingers across the table, leaving behind flecks of sand on the wood. "But… I do not know how much help I can be in regards to power to help you with the Kyuubi. I no longer have my Jinchuuriki, as you know. The Ichibi was removed from me many, many years ago."

"I know." Naruto replied with a whisper. He hadn't made it to Gaara in time, and if it weren't for Baa-chan's sacrifice, he wouldn't be conferring with his friend at all. "Oh!" He suddenly remembered the information that Kakashi had given him, and he tried to steer the conversation in different direction, trying to not to reminisce on past events. "Have you seen the chakra springs around the Sangakure?"

"Yes, and that was going to be my next point. We should travel to the closest one. They emit a very odd chakra, rather similar to what a Jinchuuriki's is… Perhaps the land has absorbed some of the chakra we have emitted over the years?" Gaara stood, motioning with his left hand. Sand collected around him, the gourd appearing on his back. "It would be wise if you did not alert your guard, we need to get this done as quickly as possible."

Naruto agreed, and followed Gaara out of the room. It would seem a bit odd to have two leaders out on their own, but at the rate they were going to travel, other ninja would only be a hindrance to them. "This way." The blond-haired youth followed his counterpart, and both leapt from the top of the Kazekage's building, easily landing on an outcropping next to them. The guards there quickly prostrated in front of the two leaders, but did not ask where they were going. It was none of their business after all.

Gaara led him quickly out of the village, passing through the Sangakure's sand walls that formed a small hole for them to travel. Not only had Gaara's power grown, but also his ability to manipulate objects around him. Essentially everything could be used as a weapon by him, even the sand that the buildings of the village were made of. Naruto was somewhat impressed by Gaara's ability, but he truly saw the extent of his friend's power when they came to the open desert.

The dunes were impossible to distinguish from one another, especially ate night, but the sand seemed to shift around Gaara, forming into a path for them to follow. "This way." Gaara whispered, running forward silently. Naruto followed after, looking over his shoulder as the pathway collapsed behind them. The Kazekage's ability was truly a gift, even if he didn't see it that way.

They ran for about an hour, the path suddenly steering to the left and down hill. The temperature had dropped dramatically, and Naruto shivered as he skid down the remainder of the pathway, following Gaara as best he could. "Why is it so cold?" He asked, wincing at how harsh his voice sounded in the silence around them.

"Because the last Jinchuuriki to fight here was ice based, and apparently that property of the chakra was passed onto this area." Gaara replied, and the two slid down the sand further.

It was as if they were traveling into a hole, and Naruto looked up, watching as the sky became a distant dot. He had never been afraid of small spaces before, but this made him panic slightly. What if they got stuck, what if they could never get out? What if…

As quickly as his fears came, they were gone. The Hokage and Kazekage slid into a large, under ground cave, the two standing and dusting themselves off. A large, blue pool of water was in front of them, the shimmering water reflecting on the walls around them. Huge, white flowers floated on top of the water, which confused Naruto for a moment until he realized the flowers were actually made from ice.

Stepping forward, Naruto squatted down, picking up a small rock that had a fine, blue sheen to it. Turning it over in his hands, he suddenly thought of something. "What if we emit our own chakra here, what would happen?" Naruto asked.

Gaara shook his head, crossing his arms as he observed the room. "We may end up getting frozen as well; apparently this Jinchuuriki's chakra feeds off of other life forms." He pointed into the water, and Naruto leaned forward, squinting.

Suddenly, Naruto drew back, letting out a sickened sound. "Are those… Humans?" He asked, looking at the ice on the water some more.

By looking closer, Naruto and Gaara had seen that there were bodies incased in ice, and that the chakra seemed to be connected to it somehow. "They look like the description of the bandits I've been hearing about from the villagers." Gaara stated, his sand slowly drifting up to form a protective circle around him and Naruto. "There is something… Odd about this spring."

Naruto hopped up, wary as he looked at the spring. "Yes. This isn't right. I have never heard of chakra feeding off humans in such a fashion then taking their form. What would it want with the Sangakure?"

The water bubbled slightly, as if it was reacting to Naruto and Gaaras' voices, a great, shining face becoming visible on the surface of the water. "**I… Want… Power…**" It stated, the voice sounding like rocks crashing over water. It drew up, forming a semi-humanoid body. "**Sangakure… Rich… In… Chakra…**" It growled, bringing its right arm up. "**Two… Kages full… Of Chakra… I can… Form my body… Again!**"

It slashed forward, ice water rippling from the stream to hit the two leaders. Naruto was flung backward, but Gaara's sand was frozen in place as it was coming out of its gourd, which in turn made him stuck. The redhead seemed completely at ease, and reached for a kunai, stabbing it into the ice behind him, freeing himself. Gaara hopped backwards a few steps, flinging his now useless gourd to the side.

Naruto stood, a bit shaky after having the wind blown out of him. "C…Can you fight?" He asked Gaara, coughing as he took a breath.

"Of course. Go for the bodies, Naruto, that's where it's drawing its energy from." Gaara pulled out a kunai from inside his kimono. Shifting his left hand, sand fell off his form, his sand armor creating a weapon. "I'll distract it, go now."

The Kazekage took his cue, and created a dozen Kage Bunshins around him. Dashing forward, the chakra-monster was too busy dealing with Gaara's attacks to notice that a group of Narutos had taken hold of its chakra sources. Each pulled out a bomb-seal, the real Naruto jumping up to place one on the creature's body mass.

Gaara stopped attacking, leaping to grab his gourd and to run towards the pathway back to the surface. Naruto was close behind him, but the seals went off a bit sooner then normal, and the explosion threw them forward, water spraying down around them, filling the passageway and forcing them onto the surface in one giant leap. However, the remaining consciousness of the chakra did not appreciate it that its destroyers were going to escape, and with the last bit of energy wrapped tendrils around the two men, dragging them back into the bitterly cold water. It was not going to die without taking its enemies with it!


	4. Part IV

**A/N: In reference to Kuro'Owari's critique I have this to say:**

**I didn't realize I was spelling the Sunagakure wrong and it will change from here on to the correct spelling. **

**Ichidaime is also a correct way to state the Shodaime. In Japanese numeral counting, it goes: ichi, ni, san, shii, go, roh, seh... etc, and the numbers often have variations on each other. Many Japanese do not use "shii" for 4 because it has a root for the "death" in it. ((You know, shinigami, Shinto, etc...)) So, my calling the first hokage Ichidaime will not change, but thank you for pointing this out. **

**And last... But certainly NOT least. My dear, dear readers: Do not tell me how to write the plot of the story or format. The entire point of _Sun Flowers_ is to make it quick and ephemeral, like the life of a sun flower. My plan was to have this story end at Part IX, or part X, but I shall see now. And 3.5k+ words isn't enough for a chapter? Oh my. I'll work on the word count, but I can only do so much. -**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing, the critiques are much appreciated but I may ignore some suggestions to keep my vision of this story alive. Please continue R&Ring and commenting.**

**-Rainumora**

* * *

Naruto gasped and squirmed against the chakra-tentacles, his remaining air quickly vanishing from his lungs the more he struggled. Reaching for a kunai, he sent his chakra across the blade, slashing at the tentacle that was connected to his ankle. Instead of cutting, it absorbed the chakra, making the tentacle even stronger.

Looking over to Gaara in desperation, Naruto felt his world start to fade. If he didn't hurry, he might not be able to cast an air-jutsu onto his friend. Concerned for Gaara's safety rather than his own, Naruto preformed a string of seals, green chakra forming around his hands. In a final motion, he brought his hands apart, a thin layer of chakra, similar to plastic wrap, appeared. Shifting over to Gaara, he placed it across his friend's mouth and nose. He preformed the seals again for himself, placing the air-jutsu across his face, the darks spots in his vision disappearing. This was a perk of being an air-type; he could breathe underwater.

Naruto motioned furiously to Gaara, but either the man was passed out or couldn't see him, and Naruto got no response. Swearing inwardly, he shifted around, feeling his mind returning to normal. He wouldn't die of drowning, but he could only maintain this chakra for fifteen minutes at the most.

"**POWER!…Give me your… POWER!**" The remnant screeched through the water, and the tentacles wrapped around Naruto's neck and wrists. It seemed to sense something powerful on Naruto's stomach, and ripped the Hokage's robes and undershirt off, the fading Kyuubi seal coming into view. "**Power!**" It screeched, and jammed its tentacles into the remaining prongs.

His entire body shuddered and his brain seizured. Naruto let out a scream of pain as the seal was forcefully unlocked from an outside source, the Kyuubi's full power ripping through his body. Red and black chakra bled through his body, the man's eyes rolling the back of his head.

The head and shoulders of a fox started to push its way out of the seal, the water-chakra boiling as the Kyuubi's fierce existence was suddenly let back into the physical world. It growled and snarled, the remnant screaming in pain as it was boiled into oblivion. "**Not you! I did not know it was you! Forgive me!**" It shrieked, the water forming into a whirlpool as it tried to get away from the Kyuubi.

"**There will never be forgiveness for your kind.**" The Kyuubi stated, raising its upper body from Naruto's stomach. "**Now that I am free, I will feast on your existence!**"

Suddenly, Naruto's hands grabbed the Kyuubi, pushing the chakra-yokai back into his body. "I would never allow you to be let into the world!" The Hokage roared, his body shimmering blue from his own chakra reserves. "I stated once that I would conquer you, and I do not go back on my word!"

The Kyuubi let out a cry of pain, snapping at Naruto's fingers and arms with its still-forming head. "**You are a parasite! Not a host! You always call for my aid; you can do nothing on your own!**" It growled, pushing itself out a bit more.

"_You_ are the parasite!" Naruto screamed, and the water exploded around him, a sphere of blue chakra forming around his body. Glyphs formed along the surface of his chakra, and it started to swirl, like the Rasengan. "I refuse to let you dominate me anymore!"

…But his power alone wasn't enough.

The Hokage struggled to hold the Kyuubi in, and by letting all of his chakra go into a mass Rasengan, he couldn't push the Kyuubi back in or seal it. He couldn't do it on his own… He was worthless, a worthless ninja…

White chakra laced through his blue chakra, solidifying the new submission jutsu Naruto was trying to make. The Rasengan swirled around his body faster, and suddenly is shrunk, pressing down, forcing the Kyuubi back into his body. The white and blue chakra settled across his skin, shimmering as it zoomed towards his navel, the snout of the Kyuubi starting to disappear.

"**Fool! I will not stand for this! I**-" The Kyuubi's last words were cut off, and a large swirl appeared around Naruto's belly button, solidifying the Yodaime's seal. He had four prongs left.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Naruto woke sometime later, a figure leaning over him, trying to see if he was still alive. "Hnn?" He managed to breathe out, his entire body feeling numb and partially paralyzed. His fingers twitched, and he managed to bring his arm up to push away him blonde, wet hair from his eyes, but even that motioned pained him. He noticed that they were outside, the distant stars twinkling above them. That was some what of a relief.

Gaara came into view, and the equally wet red-head was relieved. "You're alive." He stated, drawing back from Naruto to give the other some room. "Can you move?" Naruto made a grunting sound, which Gaara surmised to be a "no".

Sand formed underneath Naruto, cradling him delicately and bringing him into an upright position. Even though he didn't move, his stomach muscles screamed in pain. "Did you see… W-what happened?" He asked after a moment, wincing as he talked.

The Kazekage shook his head. "I only saw you in a white ball of chakra before I passed out again. The receding water took us out into the desert- we came up in a natural oasis." Leaning back, Gaara looked around.

Naruto observed their surroundings, trying to find some landmark that could tell them where they were. Aside from a few date trees and bushes, all he could see were sand dunes. "Are we still… Still in the Sangakure?" He murmured, feeling his stomach retract painfully.

"Yes, but on the very out skirts. We're on the border to the Wastelands." Gaara replied.

The Wastelands was the greater desert that the Sangakure was connected to via a string of mountains and sand tunnels. The vast desert took up the entire southern tip of the continent that the Sangakure was on, and led to the ocean. If they managed to get into the Wastelands, they wouldn't get out easily. It was a lawless place where the outlaws of all the ninja villages and countries were sent and congregated on their own.

Gaara pulled out a red food pellet from his front pocket, popping it into his mouth. "All of my chakra was drained from that spring, how is yours?" He asked, shifting forward to lean over to drink some of the oasis water.

"F-Fine… Actually." Naruto was surprised, and frowned, looking down at his stomach. He had no clue where his shirt was, but at least the Kyuubi was dormant, if for a time. "W-what should we d-do now?"

The Kazekage wiped his mouth off, sitting down in front of Naruto. "There's not much to do. I have to wait for my strength to rebuild, which shouldn't take too long because of the military rations, but I have to get you back safely. Until then… I can tell you what my Father wrote in his diaries."

Naruto nodded, and immediately regretted the motion. "Please do."

"Our Fathers were not allies like we are, Naruto, but there was a certain respect between the two men from what I have heard and read. The Sangakure helped the Konohagakure when the Kyuubi attacked, and after seeing my Father's valor, your Yodaime gave him a string of beads. I… I think I may have them with me." Gaara took a moment to go through his pockets, and pulled out a set of silver beads. "The Yodaime never told my Father what they were for, only that in a time of great need either he or his successor would know who to give them to."

Gaara leaned forward; placing the beads in Naruto's upturned hands. "I have a feeling that these beads will help you with the seal. I found that out from the Elders in my village, who stated that silver and the amount of chakra infused into these nine beads would create a powerful sealing jutsu. I figured that this would have something to do with what you are looking for."

"T…Thank you Gaara-kun." Naruto said, a bit surprised. His task was getting even more confusing. He had no guidance for what he was supposed to do, and he only received cryptic information or information that he didn't know what to do with. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, Naruto closed his eyes, griping the beads tightly in his right palm.

He had to figure out the purpose of all of this work. Sure, it could be for granting him complete and dominate synchronization with the Kyuubi, but was there something else as well? And what about these chakra-springs that seemed to be made of Jinchuuriki remnants? Where and why were they forming?

Naruto opened his eyes, slowly letting his hand relax. "This was what I needed to continue with my journey, thank you." He stated, completely sincere.

"You can thank me when we're back in the village." Gaara replied, standing to dust himself off. "Can you move now?" Naruto tried to sit up, but he only managed to yelp, falling back down. "No matter, my sand can carry you." Flicking his hands like an orchestra conductor, his gourd reformed grain-by-grain on his back.

The two lifted off from the ground, floating on sand-discs. Gaara led them northeast, following a trail that was forming in the dunes below. "Unfortunately we'll be back well into the next night. There is probably uproar in the village."

"Hnn… Yes… Probably." Naruto murmured, falling back asleep.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Naruto was dreaming. He had to be. There was no way that he was back here, back in this place…

The Hokage was standing in the center of Haku's Ice Mirror jutsu, watching as his younger self and Sasuke were nearly killed by the water ninja's jutsu.

How could he observe this? This defied all logic… Frowning, he suddenly leapt forward, trying to desperately yell out to himself not to accept the Kyuubi's gift of power, to keep himself free of that taint. Before he could do so, the scene changed.

He was in the Chunin exams, fighting Orochimaru. He had just stopped that monster's great snake, stating his infamous, "who's the chicken now?" to his rival, Sasuke. Here, like before, he had accepted the Kyuubi's promise of power.

"Why… Why did I rely on it so much?" Naruto asked, dropping to his knees as the scene fast-forwarded in his life to his meeting with Orochimaru again, this time on the Heaven Bridge. It was obvious that Kyuubi's control over him had grown, along with its power. "Why am I being shown this?"

A soft, white light glowed in front of him. A small orb appeared which slowly turned into a white, docile Kyuubi. It was the one that had stopped him and the larger Kyuubi from destroying each other. "Who are you?" He asked, reaching forward towards the figure, only to fall into another vision, this one of him suppressing the malignant portion of the Kyuubi back into him.

Suddenly, it occurred to him. "Are… Are you Yin?"

The Kyuubi opened a single eye, bright blue and silver staring back at Naruto. **Possibly…** It whispered, and slowly formed. This Kyuubi, in comparison to the one that Naruto knew, was soft and sweet, the very opposite of what he experienced. **I can only help you in small ways, but I am part of the solution you seek. **

"Are you a yokai, like this Kyuubi?"

**Yes.**

"Than how…?"

**I am the Light yokai, the Yin to this Yang.** It stated, and slowly grew larger, nine tails swishing behind it. **You need to find me, Naruto, find me within yourself. **

"But where are you!?" He asked desperately, reaching for the Yin. "I can't find you!"

**All good things are Yin… All love, no matter how foul it turns, starts with Yin.** It replied, and started to fade into oblivion.

"No! Don't go! I have so many questions that I need someone to answer, you can't just leave me here!" Naruto cried, scrambling for the other Kyuubi. "Please…!" But it was already too late, that Kyuubi was gone, leaving Naruto to his dreams and nightmares.

x.x.x.x.x.x

"How is he?" Temari asked, looking down at the sleeping form of Naruto. "Sakura-san said she did all she could, but she wouldn't say anything else. Is he going to die?"

"I do not know. He fell into a deep sleep when we were traveling back from the spring, and has yet to woken up. Sakura-san said it was a self-induced coma, similar to meditation." Gaara replied, the Kazekage sitting next to Naruto's hospital bed. It had been three days since their return, and Naruto had yet to wake up once from it. "He is a strong person; he will not give up so easily to death."

"I hope you are right, Gaara. Ah, Kakashi-san and Yamato-san, I was just leaving." Temari bowed to the two jounin, quickly exiting to let them talk in private with Gaara.

The two jounin looked as if they had had no sleep for the past week, and they probably hadn't either. Kakashi's one visible eye was droopy and puffy, and Yamato seemed rather agitated. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened, Kazekage-sama." Kakashi stated, sitting on another chair directly in front of Naruto. "I have to tell the village what happened if he doesn't come out of this coma."

Gaara was a bit annoyed at these two. They pestered him night and day for information as to what happened, but he refused to reveal anything. "It was personal business between two Kages; I cannot reveal it without Naruto's consent." Looking to the sleeping form of his friend, he could only sigh. "If this goes on for another week, then I will tell you."

The two jounin seem satisfied with that answer, and left the hospital bed. "I am sorry that it has come to this, Naruto-kun." Gaara stated, and pressed his hands into his thighs. "I am truly sorry…"

x.x.x.x.x.x

It took Naruto a week and a half to get out of his coma, and everyone in the village was relieved, especially Sakura. She had worked day and night trying to bring Naruto back, trying every treatment known to ninja, and hadn't succeeded once. It was pleasing to see him better, but also a little bit frustrating. After all, he had gotten better without her help, just like many other times before.

"How are you feeling?" The kunoichi asked, checking Naruto's pulse with her fingertips then his pupil responses with a small flash light. "If you feel woozy that's a bit normal."

"I… I'm fine Sakura-chan." He whispered, staring up at the ceiling. Naruto was a bit shell-shocked from what he had learned, and had a flimsy grip on reality at best. "I would like some time alone, if possible."

"Of course, call for me if you need anything." In truth, she was a bit miffed, but obliged with what he wanted. He would come forward in due time.

Turning to leave the room, she glanced over her shoulder again, watching as the new Hokage slowly sat up, wincing and touching his stomach lightly. Sakura had checked him all over for serious injury, but aside from the usual scrapes and bruises she found nothing. Somewhat confused to his predicament, she closed the door behind her self, leaning against it with a heavy sigh.

_Perhaps his chakra core was damaged from a blow to the stomach_? Sakura thought, but then frowned again. He had been hit in the stomach before, and it didn't affect him like this at all. It must have been a Hyuuga-like chakra manipulation on his body. This worried Sakura even more; it could spell disaster for the Village if the Hokage came back unable to use jutsu. She sighed. There was nothing she could do. She could only treat him in the ways she knew how to, but that may not be enough…

Looking up as she heard footsteps, Sakura watched as the rest of her team came around the corner. The two jounin were not very pleased with what had happened, but Kakashi had a bit of a sense of humor and understood Naruto more-so then Yamato. They stopped a few feet off, but seeing Sakura outside was an indication that Naruto was not seeing visitors. However, Kakashi did not let the medical-ninja dissuade him.

Pushing his way through, he opened the door, seeing a rather morose looking Naruto. "Hokage-sama," he stated, using titles to show this was a serious conversation. "Tell us what is going on."

Naruto looked up at the group of ninja, feeling annoyance, fear, and all around ferocity gather in his stomach. He wouldn't be able to worm out of this.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Sakura was bitterly angry, Kakashi was pondering something, and Yamato was all around displeased… And Naruto had only told them he had left to go see the chakra spring. He didn't have the heart to tell them the greater picture, and probably wouldn't be able to for sometimes. Out of habit, he touched his stomach, feeling the unfamiliar, vibrating sensation of his new, but temporary, seal. At least he had bought him self time.

"How could you do such a thing, Naruto!? You're our Hokage now and you can't run around acting like some stupid kid!" Sakura shouted, her fist clenching as if she was going to hit him. Naruto blanched, trying to scoot away from the woman. Luckily Kakashi intervened.

Unlike the others, Kakashi had some semblance of what was going on, but didn't have the complete details as to what was going on or what to do. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan is right… What you did was in very bad taste and all around stupid. What if you had been kidnapped?"

"But… Gaara-kun was with me, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto winced at how pathetic his voice sounded.

"And what if you both had been kidnapped or killed? The two strongest ninja villages without kages and in an alliance with each other would be easy prey for the surrounding nations." Yamato replied, glaring at the blonde. "Really… And we thought you had matured…"

"This is a real disappointment, Naruto." Sakura replied, sighing and leaning on his bed, "it really is…"

This was too much. Naruto was growing more and more angry by the minute, and these three kept on chastising him! "I AM NOT A CHILD!" He roared, the Kyuubi's chakra flaring around his body. It was benign and wasn't trying to take him over, but it still reacted to feelings of anger or hatred. "I am your Hokage! Do not ever act as if I am your equal! We are friends, but the situation has changed. Do not treat me like I am a child, Sakura, Yamato, Kakashi!"

The three were a bit stunned at this outburst, and a veil of thick, unsettling silence went over the group. After a moment, Sakura burst into angry tears, "Naruto! You jerk!" She screamed, and gave him one large, chakra-infused punch that sent the man across the room. In a similar manner, but without the violence, the two jounin left.

"I'm such an idiot…" He muttered, sitting up slowly from ground, placing his hands on his crossed legs. "Such a fucking idiot…" Letting his head hang, he scrunched up his eyes, trying to form into as small a ball as possible.

Another person knocked on the door, and Naruto didn't even bother to look up, guessing that it was Sakura coming back to wail on him again. "Really Naruto-kun, you have absolutely no way with women." Gaara stated in his familiar, monotone voice.

"Do you hate me as well?" Naruto asked in a self-pitying whisper. He didn't want to look up to see another face full of anger and disappointment for him.

"Of course not, I could never hate a friend, Naruto." Gaara stated, walking forward with slow steps. He seemed to be assessing the situation. "But it appears as if you're going to have a hard time from now on. Your team morale is broken, and for the most part they are annoyed with you." Naruto nodded, looking up at Gaara after a moment. It was nice to hear that at least one person didn't hate him in the world right now. Gaara took a seat in front of Naruto, small grains of sand reaching forward to settle on Naruto's jaw, healing his swollen flesh slowly. "You will get nothing accomplished with that sort of team."

That hit Naruto to the core, and the man looked at the ground again. Gaara was unbearably honest at times, and he let out a heavy sigh. He wouldn't be able to go anywhere now, let alone Sound. "What do I do?" He asked.

"I can create a sand clone to pose as you for your trip back home which can buy you some time to get to Sound." Naruto nodded, surprised, and somewhat elated at the plan that Gaara was scheming. "After that, though, you will be on your own. I cannot accompany you because of my duties here and nor can I spare any ninja. But," he saw that Naruto was becoming downcast, "you will be able to finish what you have started."

"Yes… That's true."

"And one more thing…" Gaara said, pulling out a small, wrapped package from his left pocket. "Take this, it will help you if you fall into serious trouble."

Naruto took the small parcel, a feeling of love and happiness for Gaara welling up in his chest. Gaara didn't even ask him if he was too scared to go or state that Naruto was too weak, or too unskilled, or something that would hold him back. At times, he was grateful for the honest nature of his friend. "Thank you Gaara, for everything." Naruto slowly stood up, pulling out a set of spare robes from in his pack, placing the parcel in his shuriken pouch. "When should I leave?"

"Immediately."


End file.
